Golfer&#39;s appliance



May l5, 1934. B, s, PRESTON l 1,958,956

GOLFER S APPLIANCE By @Maa/32% ,/Illorney May 15, 1934. B. s. PRESTON 1,958,956

GOLFER S APPLIANCE Filed Feb. 17, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet I?v Inventor ITE/ws fof? By @mda/52m ,/Illorney Patented May 15, 1934 lUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE -1 Claim.

This invention appertains to new and useful improvements in equipment for golfers and more particularly to a novel golf ball delivering mechanism especially adapted for practice work.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a practice ball delivering mechanism Whereby golf balls can be delivered singly to the player by a slight tap of the players stick against the trigger of the mechanism. f

During the course of the following specification other important objects of the invention will become apparent to the reader.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 represents a side elevational view of the machine with the hopper partly broken away to disclose the manner in which the balls are supported.

Figure 2 represents a fragmentary side elevational view of the barrel portion of the machine partly broken away to disclose the trigger mechanism.

Figure 3 represents a top plan view of the hopper.

Figure 4 represents a fragmentary detailed sectional view of the release mechanism.

Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts, it can be seen that numeral 5 generally refers to the stand which consists of the upstanding leg member 6 from which extends the horizontal member 7. These horizontal members extend beyond one side of the stand and are equipped at this side of the stand with short leg members 8. Brace members 9 extend between the horizontal bar '7 and the upper ends of the legs 6, a securing element 10 securing the legs and braces to the lug 11 at the upper end of the barrel 12.

At the upper end of the barrel 12 is supported the hopper generally referred to by numeral 13,

the same consisting of an inner cylinder 14 and an outer cylinder 15 spaced from the inner cylinder bythe spiral runway 16. The upper end of the cylinder 14 is closed by the conical cap member 17 which is provided so that when the balls are dumped into the hopper, they will ride into the spiral runway, the lower end of which terminates at the upper end of the barrel 12.

A sleeve 18 surrounds the barrel 12 adjacent the lower end thereof and at a point where the slot 19 (see Figure 12) is provided in the bottom of the barrel 12. This sleeve 18 is constructed so as to provide a pair of depending legs 20 through which extends the shaft 21 and through which also extends the pin 22 below the shaft 21. This shaft carries a U-shaped member 23 having the upstanding diverged leg members 24-25 and projecting from this shaft 21 is the arm 26 having the lateral end portions 27 engaging under the lever 28. A coiled spring 29 60 on the shaft 21 has one end bearing against the U-shaped member 23 and the opposite end bearing against the stationary pin 22. A clamp 30 on the barrel 12 intermediate the sleeve 18 and hopper 13 swingably supports the lever 28 at it supper 05 end, this lever being offset as at 32 to avoid the pin 22. The lower end of the lever has an upstanding member 33 provided with a ribbed angle plate 34 against which the head of a golf club can be engaged so as to depress the upstanding member 33 and rock the lever 28. Obviously, when the lever 28 is swung downwardly, the arm 26 will also be swung in the direction of the arrow in Figure 2 as this depresses the nger 24 of the U-shaped member 23 so that the overlying 75 golf ball 35 is free to ride down the barrel while Y the nger 25 moves upwardly and obstructs the path of the succeeding golf ball. (See Figure 2.)

When the pedal 34 is released, the spring action of the arm 26 raises the lever 28, this of course 80 depressing the finger 25 while elevating the finger 24, permitting the remaining golf ball to fall into the inclines of the U-shaped member 23 to assume the position of the retained golf ball in Figure 2.

While the foregoing specification sets forth the invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that numerous changes in the shape, size and materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new 1s:

An article dispenser comprising a delivery chute having a discharge end and a slot therein adjacent said end, a sleeve on the chute adjacent the slot, an article feedable device operating in the chute through the slot, said sleeve, at one end, being provided with a pair of depending legs, a shaft extending through said legs for supporting said feedable device, the opposite end of the sleeve being provided with a depending guide structure, and an elongated lever pivotally connected at one end to the chute and extending through the said depending guide and being adapted to operate the said article feeding device.

BENJAMIN S. PRESTON. 

